Mobile wax applicator



July 22, 1969 J. A. TA ER 3,451,015

MOBILE WAX APPLI CATOR Filed Sept. 18, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN'IOR. JAMES A. TABER 86 J Jay 1 Q ATTORNEYS July 22, 1969 J. TABER 3,457,015

MOBILE WAX APPLICATOR Filed Sept. 18, 1967 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 INVEN'I'OR. 30 L A MES A. mam

7 72 4.*1- ATTORNEyS July 22, 1969 J. A. TABER 3, 7,

MOBILE WAX APPLICATOR Filed Sept. 18, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVIiN'l'O/Q. c/AMES A. TABER United States Patent 3,457,015 MOBILE WAX APPLICATOR James A. Taber, 2801 W. 57th Ave., Gary, Ind. 46408 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 558,721, June 20, 1966. This application Sept. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 683,042

Int. Cl. A46b 11/04, 17/04; A471 13/312 US. "Cl. 401-48 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for applying a fluid coating to a floor surface. The apparatus includes a vessel for holding the fluid carried on a portable carriage and a spreading mop and plate pivotally attached by swing arms to the carriage and disposed to be trailed along the floor surface during the application of the coating. A conduit supplies the fluid to a distribution pipe adjacent the mop such that the mop spreads the fluid supplied. A valve is disposed in the conduit which is controlled from a carriage pulling handle. The spreading mop is urged into uniform contacting relationship with the floor surface by the plate and pivotally attached swing arms. An absorbent cover is provided to cover the mop while moving the apparatus between applications.

Cross references to related applications This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 558,721, filed June 20, 1966, entitled Mobile Wax Applicator and now abandoned.

Background of the invention This invention relates generally to an arrangement for applying a liquid coating to a surface and more particularly, although in its broader aspects not exclusively, to an improved arrangement for waxing floors.

Although elaborate techniques have been developed for vacuum cleaning and scrubbing the large floor areas of commercial buildings, maintenance personnel continue to apply wax (and like coatings) to such floors with a mop and bucket. If the wax coating is to be smooth and consistent, the Workman must use care to apply an even coat, making the waxing job even more difficult and time consuming. Over an extended period of time, the labor costs which must be borne by the one charged with building maintenance become substantial. Some prior art devices have utilized a flexible spreading pad trailing an application assembly. However, these devices. have the disadvantage of uneven application of wax and are incapable of operation in a reverse direction to apply the coatings to small portions of the floor, corners, etc.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to apply a liquid coating, such as wax, to floor surfaces with increased speed and efiiciency.

It is a further object of the present invention to apply a smooth, consistent coating of wax or the like without requiring a high degree of skill and care fromthe operator, even where the surface of the floor is irregular.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an assembly which may be briefly operated in a reverse direction to apply a coating of wax or the like in hard to reach portions of a floor such as corners.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an assembly which may be freely transported between coating applications and which will not drip or spoil floor surfaces during the period of such transport.

The conventional mop and bucket method of applying waxis also wasteful. Because foreign matter is carried into the bucket by the mop, the unused wax must normally be discarded after the waxing job is completed.

Patented July 22, 1969 ice It is accordingly a still further object of the invention to prevent contamination of the unused wax in order to minimize waste.

Summary of the invention In a principal aspect, the present invention takes the form of an arrangement for applying a liquid coating to a floor surface. According to a feature of the invention, a wheeled frame carries a vessel which contains the liquid to be applied. A spreading mop is mounted for movement with respect to the frame and positioned to trail behind the frame.

A distributor is positioned adjacent the mop and a conduit carries liquid from the vessel to the distributor, regulating means being provided to regulate the flow. A rigid member carries the mop and urges the mop into uniform contact with the floor surface, and a swing arm is mounted adjacent one end to the carriage and carries the rigid member adjacent the other end. Positioning means is provided for continuously positioning the mop in constant contacting pressure with the surface of the fioor independently of the position of the carriage while the carriage and mop are moved over the floor surface. The arrangement is particularly well suited for applying a liquid wax coating to the extensive floor areas of commercial and institutional buildings, particularly where the contour of the floor surface is somewhat irregular due to wear, settling and the like.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent through a consideration of the following detailed description.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a wax applicator which embodies the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of this applicator in assembled form;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the applicator illustrating the manner in which the spreading mop assembly may be held upward, clear of the floor, when not in use;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the applicator shown in FIGURES 1-3 with one wheel removed;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the carriage and spreader assembly, shown in FIGURES l-4 with the liquid-carrying vessel removed;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the wax applicator of the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG- URE 6 taken along line 7-7 of that figure, and

FIGURE 8 is an exploded, perspective view of a part of the embodiment of FIGURES 6 and 7 and further showing a cover for the mop assembly.

Description of the preferred embodiments The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES- 1-5 includes a wheeled carriage frame indicated generally at 11 which is adapted to receive a large, liquid holding bottle shown generally at 13. The bottle 13 is preferably constructed of a non-breakable material, such as polyethylene, and is sufiiciently translucent to permit visual inspection of the liquid level in the bottle. The carriage 11 rides on two wheels 15 and 17 which are mounted for rotation on an axle 18 and held in place by snap rings 19 which engage with annular grooves in axle 18. The axle 18 is bolted to a downwardly extending V-shaped portion 20 of a bottom plate indicated generally at 22. The bottom plate 22 is constructed of heavy-gauge sheet metal and bent to form a hexagonal, horizontal support surface which is affixed at each of its six corners to a circular, tubular hoop 25. A second tubular hoop 27 is held in spaced relation above the hoop by means of a plurality of rigid wire spokes 30. The ends of the wire spokes 30 are bent to form eyelets which are in turn aflixed to the hoops 25 and 27 by suitable fasteners, such as blind rivets.

An additional tubing section is bent to form a pulling handle and a balance skid arm 36 joined by a vertical post 38. The hoops 27 and 25 are aflixed to the upper and lower ends respectively of vertical post 38 by means of brackets 41 and 42 respectively. The general shape of bracket 41 is clearly seen in FIGURE 5. The end of pulling handle 35 is bent perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of handle 35 and is fitted with a hand grip 45. A skid disk 46 is mounted on the end of skid arm 36. A pair of braces 48 and 49 are attached between a point near the outer end of balance skid arm 36 and the outer, forward corners of bottom plate 22 in order to provide lateral support to both skid 36 and handle 35.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the bottle 13 nests within the basket formed by hoops 25 and 27 and the rigid wire stays 30. A flexible tubing 50 carries liquid from the inside of bottle 13 to a valve mechanism indicated generally at 52. The valve mechanism 52 includes an input port which receives a threaded connector 55 mounted at the end of tubing 50 and an output port which receives a threaded connector 57 affixed to the end of a second flexible tubing 60. The valve 52 is rigidly mounted on the bottom plate 22 by means of a downwardly extending bracket 65.

The valve mechanism includes a forwardly projecting control lever 66 which is attached at its end to control cable 68. Control cable 68 is mounted for sliding movement within cable jacket 70. The cable jacket 70 is firmly affixed to the vertical post 38 by means of a pair of J-bolts 72 shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. Control cable 68 and cable jacket 70 pass upward along vertical post 38 and outward along the pulling handle 35 and are held in place by bands 76. A control knob 77 is afiixed to the end of the sliding control cable 68 and is positioned near the hand grip to permit the valve mechanism to be conveniently opened and closed by the operator.

The rearward end of flexible tubing 60 is attached to a horizontal distribution tubing 80 by means of a wingnut connector 81 which is secured to the outwardly projecting, threaded inlet port 84 positioned in the center of tubing 80. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the distribution tubing includes a plurality of radially drilled, spaced apart holes 85 distributed along the length of the tubing 85. These holes are drilled through the lower rear quarter of the tubing as shown in FIGURE 4. The distribution tubing is sealed at its open ends by a pair of removable end plugs 86 and 87 shown in FIGURE 1. By removing plugs 86 and 87, collected, hardened wax may be removed from the interior of pipe 80 by means of a cleaning rod or the like.

The distribution tube 80 is mounted on a rigid rectangular spreader member 90, preferably a plate, as shown in disassembled form in FIGURE 1. Four upwardly extending brackets 92 through 95 are affixed to the top surface of plate 90. Brackets 92, 93 and 94 are drilled to receive a mounting rod 96 having a right-angle bend at one end. The bracket 95 is provided with a vertically oriented slot which permits the passage of the bent end of rod 96 so long as that bent end points upward. The spreader assembly is completed by string mop sheaths 97 and 98 fit over the ends of plate 90 and include cut out portions in their upper cloth layer to permit passage of the brackets 92 through 95. Mops other than string mops may be used. For example, soft fieecy material such as lambswool is contemplated. The mop sheaths are readily removable to permit replacement and cleaning. The rigid spreader plate 90 provides a number of advantages during the application of the liquid floor coating. The weight of the swing arms 101 and 103 and the plate 90 and rigidity of the plate 90 urge the mop 98 into uniform contact with the floor surface and prevent wrinkling or rippling of the mop during application of the liquid coating as well as make possible a thinner and more even coating. Also the plate 90, by rendering the mop relatively rigid, permits the applicator to operate for brief periods in reverse to reach hard to reach portions of the floor surface such as corners.

The spreader assembly is attached to the carriage portion 11 of the applicator by a pair of swing arms 101 and 103, each of which pivots at its forward end about the axle 18. The rearward ends of swing arms 101 and 103 are drilled to receive the mounting rod 96. The swing arms 101 and 103 are attached together by a cross rod 105 which adds lateral stability yet permits the arms 101 and 103 a degree of independent pivotal motion about axle 18. The spreader assembly is consequently allowed to conform closely to the floor surface even though one of the wheels 15 or 17 rolls over a raised obstruction. Moreover the swing arms 101 and 103 tend to urge the spreading mop into uniform contact with the floor surface.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the entire spreader assembly may be pivoted upward clear of the floor and held in place by a hook 109 (shown most clearly in FIGURE 4) which hangs downwardly from the bottom plate 22 and engages with the cross rod 105. With the spreader assembly in this retracted position, the applicator may be readily wheeled from place to place. In addition, the applicator requires less storage space in this position.

As clearly seen in FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the liquid carrying vessel is positioned directly above the axle 18 such that substantially the entire weight of the applicator is borne by the wheels 15 and 17. To operate the waxer, the pulling handle is raised slightly and pulled while control 77 is manipulated to regulate the flow of liquid to the spreader assembly. Although sponge mop heads may be employed in conjuction with the wheeled carriage shown in the drawings, it has been found that string mop heads and lambswool heads, as shown in FIGURES 6-8, are decidedly superior in this application. The distribution tube is offset toward the leading edge of the spreading mop such that a substantial mop area trails the tubing yet at least some spreading area leads the tubing. Accordingly, as shown in FIGURE 4, the tube 80 is flanked on its leading side by the string row 111 and on its trailing side by three string rows 112, 113 and 114. The spray holes are drilled at an angle to minimize clogging of the liquid passages by the mop strings. The use of a single leading row of mop strings as shown in FIGURE 4 provides a wiping action even when the applicator is moved in the reverse direction for short distances.

The liquid holding vessel 13 may be removed from the carriage to facilitate refilling. To prevent leakage during the refilling operation a conventional hose clamp (not shown) may be used to prevent liquid passage through the disconnected tubing 50.

In FIGURE 6 is shown a second preferred embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the apparatus includes a wheeled carriage frame 11' which is supported on wheels 15 and which is adapted to removably hold a bottle 13 similar to the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1. The carriage further includes flexible tubing 60' similar to the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1. A rigid plate is pivotally attached to swing arms 101 and 103' by brackets and 121 and rod 96'. The axial movement of the rod 96 is prevented by the upwardly and reversely bent rod end 150 which engages swing arm 103'. Of course axial movement of the rod 96' may be prevented by bending the end of the rod as shown in FIGURE 1. The swing arms 101 and 103 also pivot at the carriage as in FIGURE 4.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 6, the spreading mop 125 is of relatively thick lambswool construction. A thickness of approximately one inch is desirable. It has been found that the soft fleecy thick lambswool is advantageous because it is capable of applying the coating liquid more smoothly over the flood surface that the more coarse string mop 97 in FIGURES 1-5 and the springy nature of the lambswool readily enters lownarrow valleys in the floor surface. The lambswool mop 125 is removably attached 'to rigid plate 90 by a snap assembly 126. A male snap fitting 128 mates with a corresponding female aperture 127 in the plate 90'. The male fitting 128 is fixedly attached directly to the skin back of the lambswool 125 or may be attached to a false backing on the lambswool mop 125. The rnop 125 is substan- 4 tially wider than the wheelbase between wheels to allow an overlap of coating application with the previous coating application without tracking through the previously coated area with wheels 15'. I

A hanger device 190 is attached to the carriage and is adapted to support the mop assembly in a raised position during the transport of the applicator between coatingapplications. During such transport the assembly is swung to an upward position and rod 96' is disposed in the lower upturned hanger portion of device 190.

Fixedly attached to the rigid plate at by brazing or other suitable means is a spring bracket assembly 130. The bracket assembly holds a distribution pipe .80 having holes 85' drilled at an angle for distributing the liquid coating ahead of the mop assembly. The distribution pipe 80 is disposed adjacent to but ahead of the leading carriage side edge of the mop assembly. The distribution pipe 80 is inserted through the brackets upturned edges 131 and held in place by the spring action of the bracket 130. The length of the distribution pipe 80 is preferably somewhat shorter than the width of the lambswool mop to prevent the by-pass of excess coating liquid around the edges of the mop during application. The pipe 80' is fitted with removable end caps 180 and 181, preferably of plastic construction, to allow for cleaning of the pipe.

As shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the swing arms 101' and 103' have extended portions or fingers 160 and 161 extending beyond their point of pivotal attachment to the plate 90'. In their normal disposition, these fingers 160 and 161 extend at a slight incline with respect to plate 90' toward the trailing edge of the plate 90' and contact the plate at 141 between the pivot point at brackets 120 and 121 and the trailing edge of the plate. The purpose of these fingers or extended portions and 161 is to hold the trailing edge of the mop assembly against the floor and prevent the natural tendency of the mop assembly to rotate in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIGURE 7) due to friction as the assembly is drawn across the floor surface FIGURE 8 is an exploded view of the plate 90' and lambswool mop 126 of FIGURES 6 and 7. An absorbent cover may be provided for the mop assembly to slip over the mop and distribution pipe assembly when the wax applicator is being moved from one working area to another to prevent undesirable dripping of the liquid coating from the mop 125 and distribution pipe 80'. The cover 170 comprises a loose sock-like bag of terry cloth or other absorbent material 171 having an elastic band 172 disposed in its open face 173. The material used to construct the cover 170 is preferably absorbent to avoid puddling of the liquid coating in the bag and consequent spillage of same when the cover 170 is removed from the assembly.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the invention which has been described is merely illustrative of one application of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. For example, many of the features of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 6-8 may be incorporated in the embodiment shown in FIGURES l-5 and vice versa.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying a liquid coating to a floor surface which comprises, in combination;

a vessel for containing the liquid to be applied,

a wheeled carriage for supporting said vessel,

a handle attached to said carriage for moving said wheeled carriage over the floor surface,

at least one swing arm mounted adjacent one end to said carriage opposite said handle,

rigid means attached to said swing arm adjacent the other end thereof,

a spreading mop carried by said rigid means, said rigid means normally urging said spreading mop into contact with said floor surface,

elongated distribution means mounted adjacent said a liquid-carrying conduit connected between said vessel and said distribution means, I

a regulating means for regulating the flow of liquid from said vessel to said distribution means, and

positioning means continuously positioning said mop in substantially constant contacting pressure with the floor surface independently of the position of the carriage and the contour of the floor while the carriage and mop are moved over the floor surface.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim- 1 wherein said positioning means comprises,

first pivotal mounting means pivotally mounting said swing arm adjacent said one end to said carriage, an

second pivotal mounting means pivotally mounting said rigid means to said swing arm adjacent said other end.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including pivotal mounting means pivotally mounting said rigid means to said swing arm adjacent said other end, and means to restrain rotation of said mop about the axis of said pivotal mounting means when the mop is moved over the floor surface.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means to restrain rotation comprises a portion of said swing arm projecting beyond said pivotal mounting means and normally contacting said rigid means beyond said mounting means.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim '1 wherein said distribution means comprises an elongated tube mounted on said rigid means closely adjacent the edge of said mop toward said carriage.

6. Apparatus as set forth in clamp 1 wherein said rigid means is a flat plate of substantial weight for urging said mop into uniform contact with the floor surface by gravity independent of said carriage, and means on said plate flit removably mounting said spreading mop on said fiat p ate.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said removable mounting means includes snap means on said rigid means and said spreading mop.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said vessel is translucent to permit visual inspection of the liquid level therein.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mop is lambswool.

10. Apparatus for applying a liquid coating to a floor surface which comprises, in combination,

a vessel for'containing the liquid to be applied,

a carriage supporting said vessel, said carriage having spaced wheels for moving said carriage,

a pulling handle attached to said carriage for moving said wheeled carriage over said floor surface,

swing arms mounted to said carriage opposite said handle adjacent one end of each of said arms,

a rigid elongated member pivotally connected toward the other end of each of said arms, said member having a top side and a bottom side, said arms being mounted to the top side of said member,

a spreading mop removably attached to the bottom side of said member for spreading said liquid over said floor surface,

said rigid member and said mop being substantially wider than the spacing of said wheels and said rigid member normally urging said mop in a uniformly contacting disposition relative to the floor surface,

an elongated tube having a plurality of apertures distributed along the length thereof and mounted adjacent said member and mop and toward said carriage for distributing the liquid to be applied,

a conduit between said vessel and said tube for flowing liquid from the vessel to the tube,

a valve disposed in said conduit, regulating means attached to said handle for controlling said valve to regulate the flow of liquid through said conduit from said vessel to said tube,

said rigid member, mop and tube normally trailing behind said carriage during application of the liquid coating to the floor surface, and

pivotal mounting means mounting said rigid member to said carriage, said mounting means providing continuous positioning of said mop in substantially constant contacting pressure with the surface of the floor independently of the position of the carriage and the contour of the floor and also providing movesurface.

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US. Cl. X.R. 

